GOP Senator Tom Coburn using secret hold to block bill on veterans benefits

Coburn, like his fellow Oklahoma Senator Inhof, is an embarrassment to the Senate and to the American people. If they weren't the Senators from Oklahoma I would wonder how as*sholes like this could ever get elected, but then again they are from Oklahoma. One would be hard pressed to find more obvious disgusting hypocrites in the GOP.

I'd like to know more about the bill Senator Coburn put on hold, and his reasons why, before I'd believe the tenor of this article and the comments on Newsvine.  Trying to blacken his name, the Republican Party and the fair state of Oklahoma, all in a couple of lines, is childish and petty.  Freedom of speech? Or Slandering?

Here's a slightly different take on the situation from the Marine Corps Times.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2009/11/military_veteransbill_coburnhold_110309w/

Coburn has been identified by Senate aides as the lawmaker preventing consideration of S 1963, the Veterans’ Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act of 2009, by using an informal but legal practice of putting a hold on a bill.

Coburn’s staff did not respond to questions, but Senate aides said the first-term senator has expressed concern about creating new and unfunded benefits and wants the opportunity to amend the measure.

One of Coburn’s suggestions is to divert money from unspent economic and job stimulus programs to cover costs of new benefits for veterans and their families, according to sources who have discussed the issue with Coburn’s staff.

So far, at least, Senate leaders don’t want to let Coburn offer any amendments because of the precedent that would set to delay other legislation. Actual funding for benefits traditionally is handled separately from the bills that authorize the benefits, Senate aides said.

Earlier this fall, Coburn placed holds on S 252, the Veterans Health Care Authorization Act of 2009, and S 728, the Veterans’ Insurance and Benefits Enhancement Act of 2009, which led to the introduction of S 1963, which combines key provisions of the two earlier bills in an effort to get around Coburn’s opposition.

In a letter sent Monday night to the Senate majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the 13 military and veterans groups ask the Senate to get on with it.

“It is essential that Congress act on this comprehensive measure without further delay,” the letter reads. “Thousands of disabled veterans with serious medical conditions and the family members who care for them are counting on this additional support.”

The letter says passing the bill by Veterans Day would be a “fitting way” to honor veterans.

Those signing the letter include the nation’s major veterans groups — The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, AmVets, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Blinded Veterans Association, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Vietnam Veterans of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Jewish War Veterans, plus the Military Officers Association of America, National Military Family Association and Wounded Warrior Project.

Steve Robertson, legislative director for The American Legion, said delaying the bill hurts families caring for severely wounded combat veterans who would benefit from the stipends, health care, counseling and respite care that would be provided to caregivers in the bill.

“For a lot of family caregivers, delay is costing them their jobs and their savings. It’s having a big impact,” he said.

Robertson said he has spoken to Coburn’s staff about the earlier holds on S 252 and S. 728, but the conversation was fairly one-sided, with Coburn’s aides trying to get Robertson to dissuade veterans from flooding the senator’s office with calls.

“They made it clear that Sen. Coburn sees this as using his rights as a senator to place a hold on a bill, and that he was not doing anything illegal or wrong,” Robertson said. “I agree with that, but that doesn’t mean it makes sense to hold up a bill that would do a lot of good things for veterans that has cleared a committee and is ready for a vote.”

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the Senate assistant majority leader, mentioned Coburn’s hold in a Tuesday floor speech without citing Coburn by name, saying that the bill was being held up by one senator over cost.

“How much is a veteran’s life worth?” Durbin asked, adding that he hopes the hold is lifted.

The Regressive Right are having a rough time this year.. Pro Rape bill votes, Telling the 3rd Most Powerful person in this country she should be "put in her place", and now obstructing a military bill to help veterans (ESPECIALLY after the gigantic hub-bub they made about those 27 guardsman in Alaska that didn't get their pension, and it was all Obama's fault.. remember that?).

Just when i think they can't do anything any worse.. they prove me wrong..

Sgt. Excellent post, and very informative. Taking care of our veterans shouldn't be a political issue. These are the people who fought for the way of life we enjoy.

We must as a country, support our troops with everything they need to accomplish their mission. We must also provide our veterans with everything they need.

Man this is so sad. As a dis-able vet, I personally blame Rep Coburn. I receive a letter from the VA telling me to be patience and a ruling would coming. I was hurt in the 1st Gulf War and I'm at a 30 % rating so far. I have refiled 4 times and each time I get a 10 % increase. You have to file every 6 months, but those 6 month at a time, turn to a year due to the demand for each case worker which is a load for them. So all Vet bills need to put into law as soon as possible because the back load is big. I hope the Okla. voters see how bad this guy is and I hope that the Okla. Vets and their families get on Mr. Coburn case.

Sen. Tom Coburn is one of 30 newly lame-duck senators that voted against the bill sponsored on behalf of the American woman gang-raped in Iraq while working for a U.S. defense contractor. She was limited by hiring contract to arbitration, instead of getting her day in court. The bill required all U.S. defense contractors to eliminate arbitration and better protect U.S. citizens working abroad. The bill passed with 30 senators voting with the defense contractors instead of the rape victim.

Since an over whelmingly amount of female voters and those sympathetic are going to vote most if not all of those 30 senators out of office. They [the gang of 30] are doing their pre-election loss lobbyist bidding early to secure high paying corportate positions. We can expect and should track these 30 senators as they work to set up their futures as cilivians in the corporate industrial complex of America.

For more information I seeded the story about the 30 senators so woman and sympathizers across America vote the bastards out of office!

Sen. Tom Coburn and the other 29 senators threw every American woman under the bus to bend over and kiss his ankles while taking one from defense contractors for purely self-gratifying reasons!

Actually, Coburn is one of 6 Repbulican senators who voted against the new GI bill .

He's also trying to blockcade this. He also blocked two prior veterans benefit bills using the same technique.

So I'm not sure WHO he's looking out for - but it's not veterans or women.

Thirteen major military and veterans groups have joined forces to try to force one senator — Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma — to release a hold that he has placed on a major veterans benefits bill.

I will never forget this... Semper Paratus - Coast Guard Veteran